Mods to a 03 cobra

[Swordjr24]

Ok, I have had my cobra for about 5 months now and have decided what I want to do for now. I have the extended warranty so I dont want to turn it into a all out race car just yet. I was wondering what I can do to make my car faster without having to tune it and if I take it back in for warranty i can change the product back to stock easily without any problems. I have already put exhaust and cold air intake on it. What else can I do that could help. Thanks alot!

[BurnTire]

Thats about all you can really do for now.

A pulley swap and a tune will really wake up the car, but if your worried about the warranty that may not be a good idea.

I ran 11.8 @ 119 on a 2.93 upper pulley,RWTD Tune, Cat Back, Catted X, and CAI. Everything else was stock other than the drag radials.

I had the same idea when I got the car. Well my warranty ran out last month I guess it is time to start modding.:laughing:

[Swordjr24]

I just want my car to be a little faster than it is cause there is a guy with a mach 1 that can beat my car. He doesnt have a whole lot done and it just makes me mad because I spent almost 10,000 more on my car than he did just to have a better car. Do you have to get a tune with a pulley change?

[BurnTire]

I just want my car to be a little faster than it is cause there is a guy with a mach 1 that can beat my car. He doesnt have a whole lot done and it just makes me mad because I spent almost 10,000 more on my car than he did just to have a better car. Do you have to get a tune with a pulley change?

Yes you will need a tune with a pulley change.

[Swordjr24]

Is there anything else I could do to my car to make it a little faster?

[BurnTire]

Make it lighter.

Did this guy beat you at the track or on the street?

If you are running stock rear tires get some drag radials so you hook up better.

Stock cobras can run easy mid 12's in the 1/4 mile with a good driver.

[Swordjr24]

at the track with regular street tires. Im afraid to put slicks or anything on there because the rearends are really weak in the cobras

[BurnTire]

at the track with regular street tires. Im afraid to put slicks or anything on there because the rearends are really weak in the cobras

I have been hearing that for years. LOL

I have run a ton of 11's and 10's on the stock IRS with a billet flow brace.

Wheel hop is what kills the IRS.

I don't like drag radials at the track with IRS.

I like Bias-Ply Mickey Thompson ET Streets (Not the Street Radials).

I ran those on 16" Diamond Racing wheels. Tires 26 x 11.5 x 16.

[Swordjr24]

ok. Well is there any other small things I can do to my car that you can reccomend?

[BurnTire]

ok. Well is there any other small things I can do to my car that you can reccomend?

Not much without jeopardizing your warranty.

I bet with some traction you can take that Mach 1.

Get some drag radials on the car and air them down to about 18 PSI at the track.

Also put a billet flow brace on the IRS or it will look like this.
http://www.highperformancestangs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2997&highlight=billet+flow

What was you ET at the track?

[chewbaccajones]

I have the extended warranty so I dont want to turn it into a all out race car just yet. I was wondering what I can do to make my car faster without having to tune it and if I take it back in for warranty i can change the product back to stock easily without any problems. I have already put exhaust and cold air intake on it. Thanks alot!


I also have the extended warranty and have done the intake and exhaust (cat back anyway). At this point, I have pretty much decided to do the base mods like the MM IRS kit, subframes, lowering springs or coil overs, diff brace, shifter, etc. Also, talk to Rick @ Earnhardt Ford in Tempe - he is my service advisor (already had warranty work done there) and he told me all the mods I could do without voiding the warranty, even broke out the FRPP catalogue and pointed out some items. Did the guy in the Mach have a lot of track experience? What were the ET's of each car?

[MinGry03]

Just buy a WHIPPLE......:woot2:

Whipple > Warranty.

[Swordjr24]

yeah he had alot more experience than me. It was my first time to drive the cobra at the track but it was 1000 ft and he ran 10.26 and I ran 10.67.

[BurnTire]

What was your 60ft time?

[Swordjr24]

I dont remember exactly what it was for sure.

[W1ck3d]

i was in the same situation you were i just have intake,exhaust,shifter,and LFP D/P heat exchanger and i can stick with pullied cobras till about 140 pullie combo here i come:woot2:

[Graham]

Dude just throw a pulley and a tune on it. it's really not that hard to do and it can just as easily be returned to stock. That mach won't know what hit it :biglaugh:

[ASUSMC]

Make sure its a lower pulley with a handheld with the stock tune in it. Much easier to change over if you ever do have to go get some warranty work done.

[wickedcobra]

Screw it. Do a pulley and tune. You will be amazed how much faster your car will be.

[The Abyss]

I'd say get a Hand held tuner and a pulley as well. Like it was said above you can always throw the stock pulley and tune back in for the warranty.

[5.0Stanger]

Supposedly, if you run a programmer, the dealership can possibly find out that you've tuned it. I'm glad that I'm out of warranty.

[chewbaccajones]

Supposedly, if you run a programmer, the dealership can possibly find out that you've tuned it. I'm glad that I'm out of warranty.

I talked to Jeff (I think that's his name, it was the head honcho) at AZ Dyno a couple of weeks ago and he said the same thing. If they choose to investigate on a big claim, there is some type of silicone coating over the contacts that is rubbed off when chipped or tuned. I think it all depends on your Ford tech or advisor. He said he never reported it when he was a Ford tech.

[5.0Stanger]

True, there's a coating on the J3 port, where the computer is flashed from the factory. But, they can tell if the memory on the internal computer chip has been erased and rewritten before. Of course, if there's no warranty to be found, there's no real problem.